I immediately knew I wanted two black teenagers to take up the space on State Street. I started looking at lesser-known cases of police brutality and came across two kids, Aiyana and Cameron. Kids have always been near and dear to my heart. Reading their stories moved me and inspired me to think about what if they have the opportunity to grow up a little bit more.

That’s why I titled it “Stolen.” Their lives, hopes, and dreams being stolen and even being stolen from their parents. The sad reality is that this isn’t a story, this is real life.

I want people to critically think about the construction of racism in America. Do two large black figures make you feel uncomfortable or is it something you connect with? I think whatever emotion is brought up with that says a lot more about the viewer than the actual piece itself.

“Cameron Tillman, a 14 year old high school freshman, died from four gunshot wounds inflicted upon him by a Terrebonne Parish deputy in Houma, Louisiana, on September 23, 2014. The police had received a 911 call about ‘armed men with guns’ going into an abandoned home. The local sheriff said Cameron came to the door with a gun in his hand, but that was later changed to say a BB gun was found ‘in close proximity’ to his body. The teens say that BB gun was on the table. Cameron was alive for at least 45 minutes, according to their family’s lawyer. But the police offered no medical assistance,” reported Al Jazeera News. 

“Aiyana Mo’Nay Stanley Jones, a 7 year old girl, was sleeping on the couch next to her grandmother in Detroit, Michigan, when a SWAT steam was conducting a raid. A police officer mistakenly shot and killed her during the road on May 16, 2010. The charges against the officer were dismissed. ‘Juries twice failed to reach a verdict in the case, first in June 2013 and then in October 2014. In October, the judge dismissed a charge of involuntary manslaughter, citing a lack of evidence,” reported The Guardian.

-@blckslimshady